Meet the specialist
Yeong seok Lee
M.D., Ph.D.
Orthopedic Surgery · Stem Cell & Joint Preservation Center
- ConsultationConducted in English directly with the specialist, with interpretation support also available
- Clinical experienceOver 15 years across diagnosis, non-surgical treatment, surgery and rehabilitation
- Main focusDegenerative knee arthritis, cartilage preservation, rotator cuff tears and frozen shoulder
- Academic appointmentClinical Professor, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine (Samsung Medical Center)
Focus of practice
Dr. Lee works across the whole path of a joint problem rather than a single step of it: the first assessment and imaging review, non-surgical treatment, arthroscopic and replacement surgery, and the rehabilitation that follows. Where a patient’s own joint can reasonably be preserved, that is the direction he looks at first, and surgery is discussed when the findings call for it.
His surgical background is in the knee and the shoulder, and his published research is in shoulder surgery. Whether any particular treatment suits a patient is decided after an individual consultation and imaging review, not from a description on a website.
Education and training
- Ph.D. in Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul
- Internship and residency, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul
Academic appointment and societies
- Clinical Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Samsung Medical CenterSungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
- The Korean Orthopaedic Association — full member
- The Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society — full member
- The Korean Paediatric Orthopaedic Society — full member
- Korean Orthopaedic Ultrasound Society — full member
- Korean Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine — full member
Selected peer-reviewed publications
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery
The outcomes and affecting factors after arthroscopic isolated subscapularis tendon repair
Rhee YG, Lee YS, Park YB, Kim JY, Han KJ, Yoo JC. 2017;26(12):2143–2151.
The American Journal of Sports Medicine
Evaluation of the risk factors for a rotator cuff retear after repair surgery
Lee YS, Jeong JY, Park CD, Kang SG, Yoo JC. 2017;45(8):1755–1761. · PMID 28319431
These papers concern shoulder surgery and are listed as a record of the specialist’s peer-reviewed research. They are not evidence for the knee treatments described elsewhere on this site.
Books for patients
- 어깨 통증 완치 설명서 [The complete guide to curing shoulder pain]Eokkae tongjeung wanchi seolmyeongseo · Pitoncid, February 2020 · 212 pages · ISBN 9791186692424 · listing on Kyobo Book Centre
- 오늘부터 어깨통증과 이별합니다 [Saying goodbye to shoulder pain, starting today]Oneulbuteo eokkaetongjeunggwa ibyeolhamnida · Pitoncid, April 2026 · listing on Kyobo Book Centre
Titles are shown in the original Korean, with an English rendering in brackets. Both books are written in Korean for a general readership.
Broadcast and public health education
- JTBC, Dr. Jekyll and Guide — episodes on spine and knee conditions
- MBN, Alyakbang — medical contributor, Star Health Encyclopedia segment
- KBS, My Neighbor, Charles — medical contributor
- Channel A, The Kind Consultation Room명의 (Myeong-ui) segment · frozen shoulder
- KBS human documentary Donghaeng — participation in medical outreach
- Biondwi medical channel비온뒤 · 10-part lecture series on shoulder pain
Media appearances are listed as a record of public health education activity in Korea. They do not indicate treatment outcomes, and any treatment plan is decided after an individual consultation.
Consultations in English
International patients can speak with Dr. Lee in English directly, with interpretation support available when it helps. If you already have an MRI or X-ray, sending it before you travel lets the first consultation start from your actual imaging rather than from a description of symptoms.
Plan a consultation
Send your imaging for review, or ask the international team how a visit would work.